Smoke-consuming furnace.



No. 724,058.' PATENTED MAR. s1, 1903.

J. 0. SMITH. SMOKE GONSUMING PURNAGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1902.

N0' MODEL.

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FFIcn.

JOHN o. sMf'rH, oFiDEsMoINEsIowA.

SNlOKE-CONSUMING FURNACE.

SPEIFIDCATION forming partici' Letters Patent N o. 724,058, dated March31, 1903. Appumi'on inea April z2; 19oa serial No. 104,231.' (No model.)

The object of my invention is to provide simple, durable, andinexpensive means to be applied to ordinary boiler-furnaces where two,

or more are arranged adjacent to each other, whereby the operator mayreadily, quickly, and easily direct the products of combustion from onefurnace to pass over the fire in an adjacent furnace, to the end thatthe volatile gases and black smoke usually generated in large quantitieswhen the operator is placing fuel on one furnace may pass overthe fireof the adjacent furnace and be wholly consumed,

thereby utilizing all the valuable products of Y combustion in heatingone or the other of the boilers and preventing the escape of volatileand black smoke from the furnace, all of ,which may be accomplishedwithout interfering with the operation of the furnaces or requireskilled service in firing. Y

My invention consists in certain details in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a front elevation of twoboiler-furnaces arranged side-by side, one showing furnace-front and theother shown in vertical transverse section a short distance in the rearof the furnace-front; and Fig. 2 shows a vertical central longitudinalsection shown through the indicated line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used thereference-numeral 10` to indicate the side wall and top of the furnace,and in the accompanying drawings two complete furnaces are shown'side byside. The -numeral 11 is used to indicate a cast-metal furnace-fronthaving a door 12 leading to the ashpit, a door 13 leading to thelire-box, and a door flues, a smoke-stack 2O communicating with thischamber 19 and provided with the damper-21.; These parts are all of theold construction, and hence further detailed description of them isdeemed unnecessary.

In the bottom of the chamber 19 is an opening 22, and located beneathsaid opening 22 in the rear of thefurnace-front is a passageway 2 3,preferably having metal top, bottom, and sides and extending from theopening2 in one boiler to acorresponding opening in an adjacent boiler,and in cases where a large number of boilers are arranged in series thispassage-way is designed to extend throughout the entire series, openings24 being provided to communicate with each of the openings 22. Mountedbeneath each of the openings 24 is a hingedvalve 25,1having a crank-arm26 connected therewith and proj ectsthrough the furnace-front, a notchedrack-bar 27 being placed onY the furnace-front to engage said cran k-armand hold it in any position in which it may be placed. This valve 25 isso shaped -that when in its open position, as shown in Fig. 1, itwillrest upon the bottom of the passage-way 23, Aand thus closethe'passage-way 28 to the fire-box, and when moved upwardly it closesthe passage-way to the boiler-front. Directly beneath the openings Zetis an opening 28, and ou top of this opening is a slide 29, directed bythe handle 30,` projecting through the front of the furnace, so thatsaid opening 28 may, if desired, be closed by said slide. However, litis to be understoodl that this slide is necessary only in cases vwheremore than one furnace are arranged in series and provided withmyimprovements. Where there are only two furnaces, no slides 29 arenecessary.

The reference-numeral 31 indicates a chamber-'formed by the wall betweenthe two furnaces, and in this chamber are two passageways 32 and 33,preferably made of sheetmetal pipes, rectangular in cross-section, andleading from the rear of the furnace'where they communicate` with theoutside ,atmosphere. The upper one,32 communicates direct through theopening 34 with the passageway 23, and the lower one communicates directwith the air-distributing boxes 35, located beneath the passage-way 23and having lateral chambers 36 arranged at the front of the furnace anddirectly below the grate.

These lateral chambers 36 are provided with openings 37 in their rearsurfaces, through which the air may be discharged under the grates. Inthe passage-way is a damper 38, controlled by the rod 39, which extendsthrough the furnace-front. Itis obvious that the side wall oi thefurnace will become heated, and thereby produce a current of heated airpassing through the pipe 32 under the passage-way 23, mingling with thesmoke and gases therein before they are discharged into the furnace tothereby aid combustion, and the air through the pipe is, as abovestated, discharged beneath the grates.

In practical use and assuming that two fn rnaces are connected in seriesand that a re is burning in each and assuming, further, that the opera;ir is about to place fresh fuel on one of the tires, he first closes thedamper 2l ofthe furnace to be fired and then opens the valve 25thereof", and, as above explained, the slide 29 is dispensed with whencases of only two furnaces are connected in series. Obviously7 theproduct of combustion in the furnace being fired cannot escape throughthe [lue 20, but will be compelled to pass downwardly through theopenings 22 and 24 and then lat-er through thc passage-way 23, wherethey are com mingled with the heated air delivered by the pipe 32, andthey will be finally discharged through the opening 29 into the fire-boxof the adjoining furnace, and obviously all of the volatile and'blaclcsmoke will be consumed. As soon as theblack smoke and gases from the f uruace being 'red have passed off the dampers 2l are both opened and thesmoke passes through both the flues 20 in the old way.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent. of the United States therefor, is-

l. The combination with two or more boiler furnaces, each furnace havingan independent irebox, boiler, flue, anda damper in each flue, apassage-way connecting the chamber in front of the boiler-fines witheach other, said passage-way having openings in its bot.- toni tocommunicate with the fire-chambers, a valve in said passage-way capableof closing the openings from the passage-way into the chambers at theends of the boilers, or of closing the openings leading to thefire-chambers, for the purposes stated.

2. The combination with two or more boilerfurnaces, each furnace havingan independent fire-box, boiler, fine, and a damper in each fiile, apassage-way connecting the chamber in front of the boiler-fines witheach other, said passage-way having openings in its bottom tocommunicate with the tire-chambers, a valve in said passage-way capableof closing the openings from the passage-way into the chambers at theends of the boilers, orof closing the openingsleading to thefire-chambers, and a pipe or chamber in the furnacewalls communicatingwith the outside atmosphere or discharged into the said passage way, asecond smaller pipe or chamber, an air-distributing box communicatingtherewith and discharging under the grates, and a damper in said secondpipe or chamber, substantially, as and for the purposes stated.

JOHN C. SMITH. Witnesses:

REUBEN G. ORWIG, W. R. LANE.

